Lessons Learned

It was an amazing summer! :) I feel very blessed with the many opportunities I had to travel, work, learn, play, explore and grow spiritually, professionally, and socially. I’m grateful for this time I have in my life to travel and learn about new people and places and spend time getting to know who I am. Here are just a few take aways from the summer that I hope to remember and use in my life to be better:

- Find your passion and circle of influence and make a difference where you're at! :) It's neat to see people living their lives and making a difference in small towns (in between Hatch and Panguitch, UT) and villages (Tema, Ghana) while others "run the world" from the big "powerful" cities like Washington D.C.

- Be as a little child! So wonderful to observe my sweet niece and nephew. Be quick to smile and laugh like Kai and concerned about others and open and meek like Kayla. :)

- Sometimes we are in a holding pattern. When you're on an airplane and there is bad weather below (like huge thunderstorms in Denver) sometimes you need to circle the airport for an hour or so and just WAIT! :) As you're circling be patient and have faith that everything will be fine. :) Maybe all of the waiting I have done in my life is Heavenly Father protecting me from storms below and he will bring me down at the right time.

- Don't let the storms distract you. Pilots fly on! :)

- Weather changes quickly. You have to adjust and LISTEN to air traffic control where they see the bigger picture. We can't see all the problems. We must listen and follow these guides with faith.

- Once you get above the clouds, the sun is ALWAYS shining! :) Sometimes we just can't see it.

- Go to the temple often! Covenants are wonderful universal, invaluable blessings! I want so much to always live near a temple that I can go at least once a week!

- I LOVE my family!!! :) Each member of my family is such a good person and wonderful example to me!

- It's important to build relationships and come to know someone intellectually, socially, spiritually, etc. It's great to study and discuss books together (like a cute engaged couple on a plane reading and discussing "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus").

- I LOVE Washington D.C.! I love the East Coast. I love the history and examples of people who have gone before and I enjoyed the time to reflect on their lives and sacrifices.

- But, even though it is so fun and amazing to see new things and experience new places…all that really matters is people and relationships! It's really not as fun to explore and experience things on your own. Relationships are what make life rich and rewarding! :)

- Be proactive, out-going, friendly, and helpful EVERYWHERE you go...at work, in the neighborhood, at church, etc.

- It is so important to ALWAYS be positive! Be happy. Look for the good. LOVE others. Love EVERYONE! Don’t say anything negative about anyone ever!

- Study the scriptures and live their teachings. Always be ready to share the gospel and your testimony of it. Be a good example don't be afraid to be open and stand up for what you believe.

- I love the idea of an internship. It is great to have the chance to learn all that you can and share all that you can with an organization in a set amount of time and then move on. I already suspected this about myself, but I have had it confirmed this summer that I LOVE to be busy and I do actually enjoy change sometimes. Once I feel like I have learned something I am excited to move on to the next adventure. So, a 12-week internship is ideal. I am a generalist and a love to learn a little bit about everything, but I think I have a hard time getting really deep into anything unless I'm really passionate about it. Maybe that explains partly why I’m not married yet. I need to be deep! :)

- Don't be afraid! EXPLORE!

- I could really enjoy living on the east coast for a while (D.C., Boston), but I think I see myself more long term on the west coast (maybe Washington?)

- I LOVE to be around historic monuments and learning! :) I need to focus on life-long learning as I was inspired at the Library of Congress that feels like a temple of learning.

- I’m grateful for my car, grocery shopping outside a big city, good books, the ability to travel, the ability to run, and the opportunity to work.

- Have faith.

- Be yourself! Don’t ever worry about what others may think! Just be you! :)

- Be dependable and loyal.

- To live a happy life you need to be FLEXIBLE, patient, kind, loving, and forgiving.

- Be confident.

- Be friends with everyone, even older graduate students, interns, and Mormons! :)

- Management skills are very important: build effective work teams (know each other and have desks near each other), facilitate open communication, delegate and follow up effectively, manage expectations well, trust employees, take accountabilty and responsibility, be proactive, work hard, be exact, be positive and encouraging, give compliments, coordinate, collaborate, communicate, cooperate, clarify roles and responsibilities, be prepared for meetings and be sure there is a purpose, stick to time limits, be clear, concise, and take time to think about what you're doing to consider if you're doing it the best way.

- I'm not sure that I want to work for the federal government when I grow up, but I'm keeping my options open. Some organizations I may be interested in include: National Geographic, Census Bureau, NOAA, National Weather Service, Corporation for National and Community Service, Smithsonian, DOE?, OMB?, Library of Congress, Millennium Challenge Corporation, NASA, Institute of International Education, Partnership for Public Service, and Make A Wish Foundation. But probably more than being set on a specific organization, I learned that a company culture is probably most important and I am very interested in organizational strategy, change management, and training possibly including university administration or education. Now I have some great places to begin looking to figure out the next adventure, but the first step is enjoy one more year of graduate school! :)